Hot of the Press

Amy just tagged some pictures in facebook I didn't have. So I "stole" them. I am excited to have one of me rapelling. Fun huh!

Karyoke in Arenal

Not sure what I was looking at- but we saw some awesome creatures through that telescope.

Missing that tan of mine. Many of you may not think I am tan here- but if you saw me now you would understand.

Eugene and I at the bus stop

Jonathan and I at breakfast- Eugene's friend.

Hoofing it up the hill to El Mar Y Luna Hotel

Step by Step Guide to Aerials

Step 1. Erect frames (this is for the biggest jump- the triple kicker)



Step 2. Use your John Deer tractor and industrial snow blower to pack it with snow.




Step 3. Stand around and watch in awe because in the US- no John Deer tractors with ginormous snow blowers- just small sidewalk size.


Step 3. Shape jump with a Grizzly (Repeat incessantly daily)





Step 4. Cut out middle of jumps- use new snow, add water, shovel, mix and repeat steps 2 and 3. This time the ramp is harder and icier and will last.



Step 5. Chop the landing hill daily so when you crash it doesn't hurt so much.




Step 6. Wait your turn. First speed checks (speed needs to be within 1-2 KPH (kilometers per hour) otherwise jump is too high or too low. Then when you know where to stand on the hill...




Step 7. Fly high, flip, and twist

Step 8. Land your jump and don't crash (landing is less common then the physio (physical therapist ) responsible would like.


Step 9. Feed back from Snowman your coach. (Ryan Snow- so naturally he goes by snowman)

Step 10. Get scored by the judges in the scaffolding structure- heated for their comfort. Also made a great place to film jumps in training if I do say so myself.

Step 11. Get your glamor shot. (GW)

Step 12. Get a little elbow grease from your PT because as an Aerialist you have chronic whiplash from the slapback landings.

Step 13. Wait prepared until you need to shovel snow into the landing hill to fill in gaps from crashes.

Step 14. Lose a tooth (Matt Depeters)

Step 15. Appreciate the view

(Lots of ice formations everywhere)



Step 16. Win

Non- Drowner No More

I remember going to Oak Park swim and racket club as a small child for swim lessons. Young enough that all I remember learning was the doggy paddle, swimming on my back (probably with help) and putting my head under water. That was the extent of my swimming lessons. I taught myself a "freestyle" stroke from watching people in the pool play around. As a result I became what I liked to call a non- drowner- rather than a swimmer. And I have succeeded in my title my whole life- I have never drowned. But swimming- ugly and exhausting because I did not know how. Tonight my entire world changed! I learned how to swim! Don't get me wrong it needs a lot of work but... I swam laps- as in multiple- and I was breathing to the side under my arm. I know- pretty amazing isn't it. All this success can be attributed to one person- Mr. Joe Muir. A hundred thanks and shout outs. He said he was willing to teach me and he did not lie. Annie, Joe and I convened at the Bountiful Rec Center and swam for close to 2 hours. Granted some of it was drills, watching, and resting. Quite a bit of resting actually. My body has no muscle strength or memory for this so, it was a little taxing. And the lungs- wow- I was breathing a little too hard for 3 laps. But that is irrelevant- no matter how poor it may be- I can swim.

Off CourseYet On Course

Sitting with a cup of hot chocolate, quiet and alone in my room, I contemplate if it is possible to make cohesive sense of the thoughts and feelings that have been swirling these last few days. The rampant succession of highs and lows inherent to making difficult choices instills within me a deep appreciation that, among my trials and weaknesses in life, bipolar is not one of them.
I am grateful that I am better at following "tough" inspiration than I used to be. Tough inspiration defined in this instance as "the answer you didn't really want to get". This sort of prompting may result in attempts at ignoring the feeling, convincing yourself it didn't really happen, or down right defiance and doing it your own way regardless. But over the course of my life and trying these three coping strategies I painfully realized that the immediate pain/difficulty I wanted to avoid or "the ease" of my current path was not worth the consequences. So when my personal GPS said unexpectedly- "next right turn"- with a considerable amount of difficulty, I turned. (I may need to look into my power steering fluid levels.) I truly wish the hard part ended with making the turn. But it rarely does. Unfortunately, I look over and see the other road, all I loved about it, and wonder if I heard correctly. Anxiously I listen for "make a U turn". But so far, no dice.
There is, fortunately, a silver lining to it all. There is a joy in feeling you have heard and acted. This keeps my feet moving in the path ahead despite my head rubber necking behind me. And there is a confidence that, if I have errored, it was with pure intentions and somehow God can fix it.

Oh, Canada Again

Still in Canada- spending too much time in a hotel room. Did you like how I got cut off last time? Well it probably will happen again. At least I've been put to work a little bit. Matt took a spill after a triple jump yesterday and i got to run down the landing hill to get to him at the bottom. Really glad I didn't tumble myself getting there. He was holding his knee- not really a good sign. But fortunatly for him he just banged it up pretty good- no ligament or meniscal damage and a good bang on his ankle. Oh, add a little whiplash and I'm pretty busy in my room for a couple hours a day. It really is spectacular watching them jump. They get sooo high! YOu can really see it when you are on the hill/not just watching from the bottom. Today was probably my best day on the hill because I got to stand in the judges booth and film their training. The judges were there most of the time so it was heated. I was not cold at all. Now I can handle winter sports like that! I can't wait to get back to exercising! A little room yoga and i ran some stairs in the cold yesterday... great time is up again---

Oh Canada

I made it to Canada without insident! I am with the US Aerial team at Mont Gabriel while thy compete here. So far it is cold and snowy. What else would you expect? Too much time in a hotel room, but that is better than too much time standing in the freezing cold. Of course my time is almost up online. But I thought I would check it- let the world know I am alive. Updates may or may not come while I 'm here, but I'm sure when i